Conventional network architecture manages a network in an infrastructure mode or an ad-hoc mode.
The infrastructure mode is a communication method which includes a base station to centrally manage an entire network and a terminal to access the base station and conduct communication using a communication link to the base station. The infrastructure mode is used to provide a communication service to a relatively large area.
The ad-hoc mode is a communication method in which a plurality of terminals having the same function exchange control signals with each other to build a communication network. The ad-hoc mode has been used to build a communication network in a comparatively small area.
In the ad-hoc mode, the terminals are generally required to support similar types of terminal functions, because all terminals need to have control functions throughout the network.
Conversely, in the infrastructure mode covering a wide area, the base station may have more functions than the terminals to perform primary control functions over the entire network, and thus the terminals may be relatively simple. Further, with regard to transmitted power, a directional antenna directed towards the base station may be used, and thus a network may cover a large area with low power consumption.